Cable tie hand tool testing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for testing the tension settings of cable tie hand tools comprises a base, a gauge, a force transmitting member connected to the gauge and a cable tie hand tool receiving member positioned on the base. In one embodiment the force transmitting member comprises a spring and a first hinged arm. In a second embodiment the force transmitting member comprises a strap section of a cable tie. The cable tie receiving member is adapted to receive and position the cable tie hand tool. The apparatus may be employed with various types of cable tie hand tools.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus used with cable tie hand toolsand, more particularly, to an apparatus for testing the tension settingsof cable tie hand tools.

BACKGROUND

The use of cable tie hand tools for applying cable ties to bundles ofwires or cables is common. The tension setting of the cable tie handtool is an important aspect of this process, as it typically determinesthe tightness with which a cable tie is applied. If the setting is toohigh, the cable tie may cut into the cable bundle or break. If thesetting is too low, the cable tie may not adequately hold the cables andshift over time.

It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a testing device having theability to ascertain whether cable tie hand tools are being operated ata range of proper tension settings in the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method fortesting the tension settings of cable tie hand tools. Briefly, theapparatus of the present invention comprises a base, a gauge, a forcetransmitting member connected to the gauge and a cable tie hand toolreceiving member positioned on the base. The cable tie receiving memberis adapted to receive and position the cable tie hand tool. As usedherein, the term base means any structure to which the cable tie handtool receiving member is connected. The term force transmitting membermeans any structure or component capable of carrying or transmittingforce from the cable tie hand tool to the gauge.

In one embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention comprises abase, a gauge, a force transmission member connected to the gauge acable tie receiving assembly around which a cable tie may be tightened,a cable tie hand tool receiving member for receiving and positioning thecable tie hand tool. The cable tie hand tool receiving member of thisembodiment comprises a bracket and is positioned on the base. Theapparatus may further comprise first and second hinged arms and anengagement member, such as a hook. The term engagement member as usedherein means any structure or component that connects the gauge to theforce transmitting member. The force transmitting member may comprise acombination of a spring and the first hinged arm. The first hinged armmay extend substantially equal distances on either side of the hinge.The cable tie receiving assembly may comprise first and secondprojections separated by a distance of about 0.5 inches to about 1.0inch. The first projection may be fixed on a vertical support member andthe second projection movable relative thereto or vice versa. Under thisconstruction, movement of the second hinged arm can exert a force on thesecond projection to move it closer to the first projection.

In a second embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention comprisesa gauges an engagement member connected to the gauge, a forcetransmitting member comprising a first portion and a second portion,with the first portion connected to the engagement member and the secondportion connected to a cable tie hand tool. The first portion of theforce transmitting member may advantageously be positioned in alignmentwith the engagement member. The apparatus may further comprise a cabletie hand tool receiving member, a clamp and an actuator forautomatically actuating the cable tie hand tool. The force transmittingmember may comprise a strap section of a cable tie. The engagementmember may comprise a gauge gripper for receiving and holding the strapsection of the cable tie. The aforementioned cable tie hand toolreceiving member may comprise a cavity associated with the base, and thecable tie hand tool may be secured to the cavity with the clamp. Theactuator is adapted to automatically actuate the cable tie hand tool byapplying an operating force to the cable tie hand tool. The actuator iscapable of automatic retraction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are notnecessarily to scale and that details not necessary for an understandingof the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive maybe omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention isnot necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustratedherein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the apparatus ofthe present invention, in the absence of a cable tie hand tool;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, with a cabletie hand tool installed for testing;

FIG. 3 is a partially broken away perspective view of the apparatus ofFIG. 1, with the cable tie hand tool receiving member removed andshowing the relationship between the first hinged arm and the secondhinged arm with a cable tie secured around the cable receiving assembly;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the first and second projectionsof the cable tie receiving assembly of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3,with a cable tie hand tool in phantom;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 2, afteractivation of the cable tie hand tool;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the apparatus ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 6, showing anactuator in a retracted state;

FIG. 8 is a partial top view of the apparatus of FIG. 6, showing theactuator in an extended state; and

FIG. 9 is a partial top view of the apparatus of FIG. 6, showing a strapsection of a cable tie after it has been cut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus of the present invention is adapted to test the tightnesswith which cable tie hand tools apply cable ties around bundles ofcable. The apparatus may be employed with various types of cable tiehand tools, including both manual and automatic cable tie hand tools.Such tools are typically capable of deploying cable ties of varyinglengths, including miniature ties (about 4.0 inches in length),intermediate ties (about 6.0 inches in length) and standard ties (about8.0 inches in length).

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the apparatus 10 ofthe present invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, apparatus 10comprises base 12, vertical support member 14, force gauge 16, firsthinged arm 18, cable tie hand tool receiving member 20, cable tiereceiving assembly 22 and second hinged arm 24. As shown in FIG. 2,cable tie hand tool 26 may be positioned on cable tie hand toolreceiving member 20.

Base 12 is typically a flat platform comprising bottom portion 28 andtop portion 30. Bottom portion 28 may be positioned on a flat surface.Top portion 30 is connected to vertical support member 14, which isadapted to carry force gauge 16.

Force gauge 16 may be affixed to vertical support member 14 by variousmeans known to those of skill in the art, such as adhesives. Force gauge16, which may include digital readout 32, measures the maximum tensionand residual tension applied by cable tie hand tool 26. One suitableforce gauge 16 is available from Imada, Inc. of Northbrook. Ill.Engagement member 33 may connect force gauge 16 to spring member 34,which, in turn, is connected to first hinged arm 18. Engagement member33 may take the form of a hook. Spring member 34 may be about 1.0 inchto about 3.0 inches in length and exhibit a spring rate between about50.0 lbs./inch and about 120 lbs./inch and, more particularly, betweenabout 75 lbs./inch and about 100.0 lbs./inch. In this embodiment and asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, spring 34 and first hinged arm 18 are to etherconsidered the force transmitting member.

First hinged arm 18, alternatively referred to as rocker arm, includesfront portion 36 and rear portion 38, which are typically equal inlength. With front and rear portions 36 and 38 of equal length equalforce can be applied to both ends of first hinged arm 18 to provide moreaccurate readings on force gauge 16. The aforementioned spring rateshould be high enough to prevent second projection 52 which is attachedto rocker arm 18 from bottoming out on fixed first projection 50. Acentral portion of rocker arm 18 may be positioned within housing 40,which comprises opposing sidewalls 42 and top 44. Pin 46 is positionedthrough opposing sidewalls 42 and central portion of first hinged arm 18to create a hinged connection, such that front and rear portions 36 and38 move in opposite directions upon application of force to one end offirst hinged arm 18.

Cable tie hand tool receiving member 20, which may comprise bracket 21,is positioned on base 12 and is adapted to receive cable tie hand tool26. A top portion of cable tie hand tool receiving member 20 may includeJ-shaped projections 48 for locating cable tie hand tool 26 in an exactlocation. J-shaped projections 48 can, however, be eliminated dependingon the particular cable tie hand tool 26 undergoing testing.

Cable tie receiving assembly 22 may include opposing first and secondprojections 50 and 52, each including rounded top side 54 and opposingflat side 56, wherein flat sides 56 of first and second projections 50and 52 typically face one another. First opposing projection 50 may beconnected and positioned transverse to vertical support member 58 and istypically fixed in position. Second opposing projection 52 is positionedat an end of front portion 36 of first hinged arm 18 and is typicallymovable relative to first opposing projection 50. Other configurationsof cable tie receiving assembly 22 are, however, suitable. For example,the location of vertical support member 58 and cable tie hand toolreceiving member 20 may be reversed such that first opposing projection50 is positioned on an opposite side of the apparatus. At rest, firstand second opposing projections 50 and 52 are typically separated by adistance of about 0.5 inches to about 1.0 inch. This configurationadvantageously provides more accurate residual tension readings relativeto certain known testing devices.

Second hinged arm 24, alternatively referred to as release arm, is shownin FIG. 3. Second hinged arm 24 is hinged about a common pivot axis andcomprises first and second portions 60 and 62. Second portion 62comprises rounded projection 64 for contacting front portion 36 ofrocket arm 18. With downward force applied to first portion 60, roundedprojection 64 contacts front portion 36 of rocker arm 18, moving secondprojection 52 of cable tie receiving assembly 22 closer to firstprojection 50, thereby releasing tension on cable tie 66 for readyremoval.

Apparatus 10 may be constructed of aluminum, stainless steel or othersuitable material. Apparatus 10 is typically machined, followed byinstallation of force gauge 16 and spring member 34.

In operation, apparatus 10 is utilized to test the tension of varioustypes of cable tie hand tools. A step-wise process is employed, thoughthe order of the process may vary.

Apparatus 10 is placed on a flat surface, such as a bench or countertop.Apparatus 10 begins at rest, with first and second projections 50 and 52of cable tie receiving assembly 22 in a space-apart relationship andspring member 34 in a relaxed state, as shown in FIG. 1.

Force gauge 16 is typically powered on and a tension readout of 0.0appears. If force gauge 16 does not display 0.0. force gauge 16 shouldbe reset. Thereafter, peak mode is activated to record the peak tensionexerted by use of cable tie hand tool 26.

A user loads cable ties 66 into cable tie hand tool 26 and sets cabletie hand tool 26 to a proper setting. The user may next install cabletie hand tool 26 on cable tie receiving member 20 and deploy cable tie66 around opposing first and second projections 50 and 52 of cable tiereceiving assembly 22, as shown in FIG. 2. At this point, opposing firstand second projections 50 and 52 of cable tie receiving assembly 22remain in a spaced apart relationship and spring member 34 is still in arelaxed state.

Cable tie hand tool 26 is then manually or automatically activated tocontract cable tie 66 and urge first and second projections of 50 and 52of cable tie receiving assembly 22 closer together, as seen in FIGS. 4and 5. In turn front portion 36 of first hinged arm 18 moves upwardwhile rear portion 38 moves downward, exerting downward force on andstretching spring member 34. This state of apparatus 10 is shown in FIG.5.

Force gauge 16 displays a peak tension readout, based on the contractionof cable tie 66 around first and second projections 50 and 52 of cabletie receiving assembly 22. The peak tension readout corresponds to howtightly cable tie hand tool 26 will apply cable tie 66.

The operation may then be repeated with the same or different cable tiehand tools 26 and/or the tension settings of cable tie hand tool 26 maybe adjusted. To repeat the operation, cable tie 66 is removed and forcegauge 16 is reset to 0.0. To remove cable tie 66, second hinged arm 24is moved downward, which exerts upward force on front portion 36 offirst hinged arm 18, thereby moving first and second projections of 50and 52 even closer together. Positioning first and second projections 50and 52 closer together permits a user to more readily slide cable tie 66off a single side of cable tie receiving assembly 22 to begin a newcycle. Additionally or alternatively, the tension setting of cable tiehand tool 26 may be adjusted based on the peak tension readout displayedby force gauge 16.

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate a second embodiment of the cable tie hand tooltesting apparatus 100 of the present invention. Apparatus 100 includesbase 101, cable tie hand tool receiving member or cavity 102 cable tiehand tool 104, force transmitting member 106, digital force gauge 108and actuator 120. Cavity 102 may contain a urethane insert (not shown)for receiving hand tool and a retaining clamp 124 for securing hand tool104 within cavity 102. Digital force gauge 108 may be coupled toengagement member 126, which receives and holds a portion of forcetransmitting member 106—in this case a strap section of a cable tie.

Engagement member 126 aligns with hand tool gripper 128 and digitalforce gauge 108. The engagement member 126 shown in FIG. 6 is a gaugegripper. Force transmitting member 106 may comprise first and secondportions 125 and 127, with first portion 125 connected to engagementmember 126 and second portion 127 connected to cable tie hand tool 104,as best seen in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, first portion 125 ispositioned in alignment with engagement member 126.

Enclosure 130, shown in phantom in FIG. 6, surrounds actuator 120 torestrict inadvertent access to actuator 120. Actuator 120 automaticallyactuates cable tie hand tool 104 and can control its handle speed tomaintain data collection within the predefined range of digital forcegauge 108. A start/stop push-button 132 initiates extension of actuator120, which applies an operating force at a controlled velocity to handle134 of hand tool 104, as best seen in FIG. 8. After extension ofactuator 120 is initiated, actuator 120 extends through a predetermineddistance of travel, as shown in FIG. 8. Within the predetermineddistance of travel, hand tool 104 completes a cut-off cycle (see FIG.9).

During actuator 120 extension, digital force gauge 108 measures themaximum tension applied by cable tie hand tool 104. After thepredetermined distance of travel is reached, actuator 120 willautomatically retract from its extended position, and the operatingforce applied to handle 134 of hand tool 104 is removed. Afterretraction is initiated, actuator 120 retracts through the predetermineddistance of travel until it reaches its original starting locationbefore extension was initiated, as best seen in FIG. 7.

Apparatus 100 may be readily made and assembled, as shown in FIGS. 6-9.Base 101, the plate surrounding cavity 102 and enclosure 130, may beconstructed of aluminum, stainless steel or other suitable material.These components are typically machined or stamped. Other components,such as actuator 120 and digital force gauge 108, may be purchased.Actuator 120 is powered by an electric motor and may comprise a linearmotion actuator mechanism. Actuator 120 is typically configured toautomatically retract. Start/stop button 132 is electrically connectedto actuator and begins a testing cycle.

In operation, the first step is to power-on apparatus 100. A user turnson digital force gauge 108. After digital force gauge 108 is turned on,it should display 0.0.

The second step is to install hand tool 104. The user installs aurethane insert (not shown) into cavity 102, and hand tool 104 is placedin the insert. Each tool type requires a specific urethane insert toproperly contain hand tool 104 in apparatus 100. Retaining clamp 124 isthen fully depressed to properly restrain hand tool 104 duringoperation.

The third step is to install force transmitting member (i.e. strapsection of cable tie) 106 and set hand tool 104 to a proper setting. Theuser should locate a properly sized strap section of cable tie 106 foruse with each particular tool type and each particular tool setting. Theuser places strap section of cable tie 106 into the cable tie hand toolgripper 128 and into engagement member 126. It is advisable to cut thetail of strap section of cable tie 106 to avoid stretching and impropercutoff.

The fourth step is the operation cycle. Digital force gauge 108 mayindicate a non 0.0 value after inserting strap section of cable tie 106.Thus, the memory should be cleared before each tension cycle. The peakmode on digital force gauge 108 is activated to record the peak tensionof hand tool 104 at cutoff of strap section of cable tie 106. The userpushes start-stop button 132 to operate hand tool 104, which cuts strapsection of cable tie 106 and retracts hand tool 104 to the startingstate of the cycle. A peak tension value is displayed on digital forcegauge 108, which represents the maximum tension applied at the cable tiecut-off.

The fifth step is to reset the cycle. The user removes the cut-off cabletie tail, and either removes strap section of cable tie 106 from handtool 104 or feeds the remaining portion of strap section of cable tie106 into engagement member 126 for the next test operation with the sametool. The cut-off cable tie tail should be removed before anotheroperation can begin. Digital force gauge 108 on apparatus 100 is resetto a 0.0 reading before another test cycle begins; otherwise inaccurateresults may be displayed.

The sixth step is to adjust hand tool 104 and repeat the test cycle, orremove hand tool 104. The user can perform another test on the same handtool 104 by adjusting the hand tool tension setting knob and returningto the cable tic installation step (step 3). The user may perform atension test on another tool type by returning to the tool installationstep (step 2) and inserting a new tool. The user may end the testing byturning off digital force gauge 108 and apparatus 100.

The disclosed invention provides a hand tool testing device having theability to verify the tension setting or calibration of cable tie handtools in the field. It should be noted that the above-described andillustrated embodiments and preferred embodiments of the invention arenot an exhaustive list of the forms such a testing device in accordancewith the invention might take: rather, they serve as exemplary andillustrative of embodiments of the invention as presently understood.Many other forms of the invention are believed to exist. The actualscope of the invention, therefore, is defined in the following claims.

1. An apparatus for testing the tension setting of a cable tie hand tool, the apparatus comprising: a base; a gauge positioned on the base; an engagement member connected to the gauge; a force transmitting member comprising a first portion and second portion, the force transmitting member connected to the engagement member at the first portion and to a cable tie hand tool at the second portion; and a cable tie hand tool receiving member positioned on the base, the cable tie hand tool receiving member for receiving and positioning the cable tie hand tool.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engagement member includes a gauge gripper coupled to the gauge, the gauge gripper for receiving and holding a strap section of a cable tie connected to the engagement member.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the force transmitting member comprises a strap section of a cable tie.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cable tie hand tool receiving member includes a cavity associated with the base.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a clamp for securing the cable tie hand tool within the cavity.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an actuator connected to the cable tie hand tool receiving member, the actuator for automatically actuating the cable tie hand tool.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the actuator applies an operating force to actuate the cable tie hand tool.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the actuator automatically retracts. 